How much do tradies actually earn in Australia?

The short, honest answer

A fully qualified tradesperson in Australia generally earns a comfortable full-time wage, and most trades pay more than the national median for all jobs. But there is a real spread. Electricians and plumbers sit near the top. Painters and motor mechanics sit lower. Most of the others land somewhere in the middle.

The figures below are the median full-time weekly earnings published by the Australian Government's Your Career service (yourcareer.gov.au), which draws on Australian Bureau of Statistics data. They were checked in 2026 and are approximate. Median means the middle of the pack: half earn more, half earn less. Real pay changes with experience, location, overtime, and whether you stay on the tools for a boss or run your own business.

What the 8 trades actually earn once qualified

Median full-time earnings per week as published by Your Career (checked 2026), roughly what a middle-of-the-pack qualified worker takes before tax. The yearly figure in brackets is just the weekly number across a full year, and most people do not work all 52 weeks paid, so read it as a guide only.

• •Electrician: about $2,204 a week (roughly $115,000 a year). One of the best-paid trades, with steady, ongoing demand.
• •Airconditioning and refrigeration mechanic (HVAC): about $2,019 a week (roughly $105,000 a year). Strong, steady money.
• •Plumber: about $2,000 a week (roughly $104,000 a year). Consistently near the top.
• •Carpenter: about $1,787 a week (roughly $93,000 a year). Solid, and heavily tied to how busy building work is.
• •Welder and metal fabricator: about $1,755 a week (roughly $91,000 a year) for a first-class welder. Mining, manufacturing and FIFO can lift this a lot.
• •Bricklayer: about $1,597 a week (roughly $83,000 a year). Often paid per brick or per job, so a fast, fit brickie can earn more than the median.
• •Motor mechanic: about $1,405 a week (roughly $73,000 a year). One of the lower-paid trades on award wages, especially in general servicing.
• •Painter: about $1,400 a week (roughly $73,000 a year). Lower base pay, though self-employed painters with their own clients can do better.

What you get paid as an apprentice (the lean years)

This is the part the pay ads skip. As an apprentice you earn while you learn, but the pay is deliberately low at the start and steps up each year as your skills grow. You are not on the qualified wages above until you finish, which usually takes about four years.

Apprentice pay is not a single national number. It is set by the award (or enterprise agreement) that covers your trade, and it depends on three things: which year of your apprenticeship you are in, your age, and whether you are a junior or an adult apprentice (an adult apprentice generally started at 21 or older and is paid more).

Because it varies so much, do not trust a figure off a forum. Put your exact trade, year and age into the Fair Work Pay and Conditions Tool (linked below) to see the real minimum for your situation. Also check whether you qualify for government apprentice incentives and living-away or travel support, which can add up over the first year or two.

Why the headline number is not what hits your bank account

A median wage is a starting point, not a promise. A few things push your real pay above or below it:

• •Overtime and penalty rates: a lot of tradies lift their income well past the base by working Saturdays, early starts and shutdowns. That money is real, but it costs you time and your body.
• •Location and industry: the same welder or electrician earns far more on a mine site or a big infrastructure job than in a suburban workshop. FIFO and resources work pay a premium for a reason.
• •Employee versus your own ABN: subcontractors and business owners can charge more per hour, but they also cover their own tools, vehicle, insurance, super, sick days and quiet weeks.
• •Licences and specialisation: extra tickets (for example high-voltage, gas, refrigerant handling, confined spaces) open higher-paying work.
• •The spread is wide: within any single trade, the gap between the lowest and highest earners is large. The median hides both the strugglers and the standouts.

The real earners: going out on your own

The tradies pulling serious money, well above the medians above, are usually the ones who stopped working for someone else. A licensed electrician or plumber running their own jobs, quoting their own work and eventually employing others can earn far more than an employee on wages.

Be honest with yourself about the trade-off. Running a business means chasing invoices, quoting on weekends, carrying insurance and tools, and wearing the risk when work dries up or a client does not pay. Not everyone wants that, and plenty of very good tradies choose a steady wage and knock-off at 3pm over the stress of running the show. Both are valid. Just know that the biggest incomes almost always come with owning the business, not just holding the licence.

The downsides worth knowing before you commit

This is a genuinely good career path for a lot of people, but it is not free money, and it is fair to weigh the costs:

• •The apprentice years are lean. You will likely earn less than mates who went straight into full-time work or retail, for around four years, before it pays off.
• •It is physically hard. Early starts, heat, heights, confined spaces, and years of wear on your knees, back and hands. Some trades are tougher on the body than others.
• •Pay is not uniform. As the numbers show, choosing motor mechanics or painting over electrical or plumbing can mean a real difference in lifetime earnings.
• •Work can be cyclical. Building trades rise and fall with construction activity. When the work slows, so can the hours.
• •The median is not guaranteed. Half of workers earn below it. Hitting the top numbers usually takes extra tickets, overtime, the right industry or your own business.

How to check the numbers for yourself

Do not take any single figure, including the ones here, as gospel. Wages move each year and vary by state and employer. Before you commit to a trade, do two quick checks.

First, look up your chosen trade on the Your Career occupation profiles (yourcareer.gov.au) to see the current median earnings and future demand. Second, if you are about to start an apprenticeship, run your exact details through the Fair Work Pay and Conditions Tool so you know the minimum you should be paid from day one. Ten minutes of checking now beats a nasty surprise on your first payslip.